The 2018 World Cup

[kingfc22]

Really hoping Senegal can score because Japan is just kicking the ball back and forth.

[Critch]

Need somebody to score because my World Cup spreadsheet doesnt track Fair Play so it says Senegal are through. I need a goal for anybody to make my spreadsheet pretty.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

And just like that, yellow cards are crucial again.

Japan is playing game of chicken now.

[MIJB#19]

Japan-Poland has become a stalemate game.

[tarcone]

F Japan. I hope Senegal scores.

[kingfc22]

I don’t understand why Poland isn’t putting in any effort here. I guess it makes sense seeing how they never showed up to play in the WC in the first place.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

I don’t understand why Poland isn’t putting in any effort here. I guess it makes sense seeing how they never showed up to play in the WC in the first place.

They got their victory, nothing else to play for.


All in all, I thought it was a good idea to encourage clean play by using 'fair play' as a tie-breaker, but Japan's last 10 minutes of lack of effort where much less 'fair play' than Senegal's effort was.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Critch

Need somebody to score because my World Cup spreadsheet doesnt track Fair Play so it says Senegal are through. I need a goal for anybody to make my spreadsheet pretty.

In my own WC spreadsheet I built in additional coin flip tie-breaker fields just in case something like this would happen. I'm abusing that to enter the order based on fair play.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by tarcone

F Japan. I hope Senegal scores.

It's funny, as I'm watching the end of this and the crowd is ticked off and people on twitter and in general seem to be upset about how the game was ending, I realized what I watched in the last 10 minutes or so - a guy for Poland faked an injury to stop the game for a sub, and a team winning (at least in the overall sense) ran the clock out rather than running plays designed to move the ball and score.

Gee, looks like nearly every (American) football game we've ever watched! So, what's the issue?

[tarcone]

That the seeding was not set in stone. So it wasnt like a ream leading and running out the clock.
Had Senegal scored, Japan shot themselves in the foot.

I guess my beef is they were not playing to secure a spot. They could have tied it and guaranteed a spot.

[Ksyrup]

Yeah but it's soccer., They reasonably calculated that Senegal wasn't going to score as time ran out in a game that was 1-0 for the first 90 minutes. They could have lost out on an unlikely goal, but they knew the odds.

It's like an NFL team choosing to play for a tie when they could get knocked out of the playoffs by another team winning, except that other team is down by 18 points with 5 minutes left. Possible? Sure. Unlikely? Absolutely.

[Ksyrup]

Also, Japan could have gone for it, made a terrible pass/turnover, and given up a goal that cost them a chance to move on while Senegal still lost. I'm not sure what's the worse way to go - not trying to score when you don't need to, or trying to score and letting another team through that didn't do anything to knock you out.

[miami_fan]

The segment with Martin O’Neil describing England’s “Tiki Taka” possession game brought a smile to my face.

[MIJB#19]

I understand Japan's decision in the last 10 minutes of their game. I suspect 9 out of 10 soccer/sports teams would have done the same thing. I've seen a stalemate game before, between one team needing a draw to clinch league championship and the other needing a draw to avoid relegation. If I remember correctly, bookmakers even took the game off beforehand, because 0-0 was too obvious of a score.

What makes it awkward is that usually in soccer 'fair play' includes the team's willingness to try to score goals, making the way Japan played late in the game opposite of fair play, yet they advance based on 'fair play'. Overall, Japan does stand out to me as a team with high fair play standards.

[bhlloy]

I don't know what you can do about it though, other than make the teams play in stadiums that are communication dead zones for miles around.

Do hate the fair play being the tie breaker. At least when it was corners it was something that loosely rewarded attacking play. Shots or shots on target would be even better. You can easily get a more strict ref for one of your games and pick up 5-6 cards for fouls that might have only been 1 if you had got a different ref.

[bhlloy]

DOLA - it's going to be a million times worse in 3 team groups in 2026 onwards. Chances of all 3 group games ending in ties is not that small.

[bbgunn]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

DOLA - it's going to be a million times worse in 3 team groups in 2026 onwards. Chances of all 3 group games ending in ties is not that small.

This. Three-team groups are a horrible idea and I wouldn't be surprised to see drastic changes after the 2026 World Cup. Should've just had 40 teams in eight 5-team groups.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

I don’t understand why Poland isn’t putting in any effort here. I guess it makes sense seeing how they never showed up to play in the WC in the first place.

Hard to fault them. They were winning the game at that point. You play to win the game, right?

Just the annoying side-effect of these situations. Like MIJB said, the situation was very un-Japan like. They probably don't feel great about it.

They'll also likely get rolled by Belgium. *shrug*

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by bbgunn

This. Three-team groups are a horrible idea and I wouldn't be surprised to see drastic changes after the 2026 World Cup. Should've just had 40 teams in eight 5-team groups.

5-team groups take a minimum of 13 days to finish, regardless of the number of groups, and have the same problem as 3-team groups: not all teams in the same group are active in in the same round of games, most importantly the last game day. 4 teams per group is logistically the only acceptable option, aside from a full on knockout tournament.

FIFA should consider double (triple?) elimination knockout as an alternative for the group stage. Might be doable with 48 teams.

[Butter]

I agree on 4 teams per group. If they are dead set on a Round of 32, it should be 12 groups of 4, top 2 advance from each group with the next best 8 also moving on to a round of 32.

That's what they were doing with the old 24 team setup anyway.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Butter

I agree on 4 teams per group. If they are dead set on a Round of 32, it should be 12 groups of 4, top 2 advance from each group with the next best 8 also moving on to a round of 32.

That's what they were doing with the old 24 team setup anyway.

Or even stay away from a 'round of 32' and only advance the 12 group winners and find a formula to reward 4 more teams to go through on slightly more than just points, to make it less prone to stalemate games.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

DOLA - it's going to be a million times worse in 3 team groups in 2026 onwards. Chances of all 3 group games ending in ties is not that small.

Agreed. There are so many scenarios in the 3-team format that scream for unintentional fixed results in the last game (for readability I added three names rather than team A, team B and team C):

game 1 Aruba - Bonaire 0-0
game 2 Aruba - Curacao 0-0
game 3 Bonaire - Curacao 1-1 => both advance, Aruba screwed

game 1 Aruba - Bonaire 0-0
game 2 Aruba - Curacao 1-1
game 3 Bonaire - Curacao 2-2 => both advance, Aruba screwed

game 1 Aruba - Bonaire 0-0
game 2 Aruba - Curacao 0-1
game 3 Bonaire - Curacao 0-0 => both advance, Aruba screwed

game 1 Aruba - Bonaire 0-0
game 2 Aruba - Curacao 0-1
game 3 Bonaire - Curacao 1-0 => both advance, Aruba screwed

game 1 Aruba - Bonaire 0-1
game 2 Aruba - Curacao 0-0
game 3 Bonaire - Curacao 0-0 => both advance, Aruba screwed

game 1 Aruba - Bonaire 0-1
game 2 Aruba - Curacao 0-0
game 3 Bonaire - Curacao 0-1 => both advance, Aruba screwed

game 1 Aruba - Bonaire 0-1
game 2 Aruba - Curacao 0-0
game 3 Bonaire - Curacao 2-1 => both advance, Aruba screwed

game 1 Aruba - Bonaire 0-1
game 2 Aruba - Curacao 0-1 => Aruba eliminated
game 3 Bonaire - Curacao => both advance

game 1 Aruba - Bonaire 0-1
game 2 Aruba - Curacao 1-0
game 3 Bonaire - Curacao 1-2 => both advance, Aruba screwed
(basically the same as the A-B 0-0, A-C 0-0, B-C 1-1 scenario)

game 1 Aruba - Bonaire 0-2
game 2 Aruba - Curacao 1-0
game 3 Bonaire - Curacao 0-1 => both advance, Aruba screwed

game 1 Aruba - Bonaire 0-1
game 2 Aruba - Curacao 2-0 => Aruba advances!
game 3 Bonaire - Curacao t.b.d. => wow, we'll actually have a game that matters

The only way 'Aruba' has their faith in their own hands is by winning one game and not losing the other by an equal or bigger score. And only a double win can guarantee the group victory. Both 'Bonaire' and 'Curacao' have a just-don't-lose incentive written all over.

[SirFozzie]

Honestly, I'd prefer 8 groups of six.

1st Place in Group=Bye to Round of 16
2nd/3rd Place Advance to a knockout round for the other 8 spots in the round of 16

It'd probably be a nonstarter because the clubs complain about too many games, under my plan, a finalist would play 9 games, instead of the seven it now takes.

[miami_fan]

Loser gets their manager fired match between Argentina and France.

[miami_fan]

Man that was some pace! Damn!

[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Man that was some pace! Damn!

And he’s only 19!

[miami_fan]

AGAIN!

[kingfc22]

What a match so far.

[JPhillips]

That should do it.

[kingfc22]

They have no answer for Mbappe. None at all.

[JPhillips]

Argentina just can't handle the speed from the entire front of France.

[miami_fan]

I am happy FRA v ARG took up the mantle for the offensive game today. I fully expect and am secretly hoping for the URU v POR game from a defensive and pettiness point of view.

[AlexB]

France’s performance has been one of the best so far in the tournament, especially second half. But Argentina aren’t all that tbh.

[AlexB]

Big finish?

[AlexB]

We may see a rare double-dive this evening with Suarez and Pepe!

[JPhillips]

Can someone please bite Suarez?

[Buccaneer]

Thoroughly enjoyed watching the French victory, especially that 5-pass goal that was perfection.

I respect a great defensive team like Uruguay but still rooting against any South American teams.

[Warhammer]

That Cavani goal was beautiful no matter who you are rooting for.

[JPhillips]

How unlikely is it that Uruguay is so small and has the two least likable strikers in the world. They raise their hands or fall after every interaction.

[PilotMan]

I fucking hate Cavani and Suarez, but I cannot deny the skill of these 2 goals. Just clinical, on point, first time, finishing.

[PilotMan]

That was a really good game. Aside from, you know, the insane diving all over, there was some good soccer in between.

[BYU 14]

A little off topic, but does anyone else think Kate Abdo is really cute?

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

A little off topic, but does anyone else think Kate Abdo is really cute?

Not cute. Fucking hot as hell.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by AlexB

Not cute. Fucking hot as hell.

I'll give you that

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

A little off topic, but does anyone else think Kate Abdo is really cute?

Well, I was curious enough to Google.

That was a very quick no for me however.

[PilotMan]

Fuck Russia

[MrBug708]

Why is Pique arguing that?

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Why is Pique arguing that?

pretty impressive how he re-raised that arm mid-air.
And making it a clear cut hand ball at that.

[kingfc22]

Pretty close to rooting for a Spanish loss in PK’s.

They deserve it at this point.

[PilotMan]

I'll be shocked if Russia can handle the pressure of all 30 minutes of extra time without breaking somewhere.